2018 Sturgis Mustang Rally: Ponycars Gallop Through the Black Hills of South Dakota

The name Sturgis usually conjures visions of thousands of motorcycles converging on the Black Hills to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, one of the largest events of its type in the country. However, two weeks after all the beer bottles have been swept up and the throaty roar of a gazillion throbbing Harley-Davidsons has faded into the distance, Sturgis becomes the cruising destination for the Sturgis Mustang Rally, or SMR, as the insiders like to call it.

Popular among SMR attendees was the Black Hills Poker Run, which took participants through some of the most beautiful scenery in the state. Bill and Karla Puck, who chauffeured us throughout the weekend, tied for Second place in the Poker Run’s HH class with Bill’s 1979 Indianapolis 500 pace car and Karla’s 1985 Mustang GT scoring the same amount of points.

The SMR was cofounded some 12 years ago by Frank Lawton and the late Gary Lipold, and governed by the Sturgis Mustang Rally Committee, which currently consists of Lawton, Robin Shrake, Ed Hinker, Leland Hollis, Dan Jacobson, and Butch and Patty Shields. As you might imagine, staging an event of this magnitude requires an army, in this case 80-plus hardcore Mustang enthusiasts working strictly on a volunteer basis, and you couldn’t meet a more welcoming bunch of folks. The result was a smooth running, fun event that this year attracted entries from 35 states, Europe, and Canada. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,100 early- and late-model Mustangs converged on Sturgis’ Main Street.

The hub of all Sturgis Mustang Rally activities was the Thunderdome Arena, located on the outskirts of town. All rally activities originated from, or took place at, the ’Dome, including the Mustang Rodeo, Mustang ride-alongs, launch box competition, burnout contest and drifting competitions, all autocross activities, barrel-racing competition, driving exhibitions, concerts, and Sunday’s banquet and Show and Shine awards. It was definitely the happening place.Dennis Kersay wheels his 1968 Mustang coupe up Main Street past Deadwood’s Mustang Sally’s restaurant on the way into the car show.

The Sturgis Mustang Rally, or Mustang Week, as it is also known, kicked off with “Mustang Monday” and events that included a concert and a burnout exhibition.

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Setting up for the show posed a bit of a parking problem on Deadwood’s somewhat narrow main drag, but with every car parked in its proper place, things calmed down and the show ran flawlessly.

Tuesday’s activities included event registration and a golf tournament, with proceeds from the event donated to the Wounded Warrior Family Support Foundation.

On Wednesday, BFGoodrich sponsored two high-performance driving schools, held before and after the Military & Veterans Tribute Cruise, led by Wounded Warriors Family Support specialist Ed Mardiat.

The Mustang Trailer–sponsored barrel-racing event proved that, like autocross, a reasonable degree of skill and dexterity is required to negotiate the tight course without coming in contact with a barrel. Ron Miller “herded” his 1969 Shelby GT350 around the barrels, exhibiting a wild driving style that delighted the crowd.One of the earlier stops on the Poker Run tour was at title sponsor Scott Peterson Motors Ford outside of Sturgis, where Peterson displayed his Raven Black 1969 Boss 429 Mustang (KK-1488).Ed Lyon negotiated the cones with exacting precision in his 1965 Mustang 2+2 during Friday afternoon’s BFGoodrich-sponsored autocross.

Another cruise on Thursday took in the sights at Spearfish Canyon and the Spearfish Canyon Lodge, followed by a visit to the mining town of Lead, and then to the streets of Deadwood for the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Main Street Show and Shine.

Main Street Sturgis was transformed into a sea of color and chrome for Saturday’s Show and Shine. Tom and Cheryl Heiring were a huge hit with their “his and hers” 1973 Mustang Grandes. The story goes that the Bright Green Glow car served as their family car. Tom later purchased the Medium Aqua Grande to restore. Once he and Justin Eich finished the car, it was time to have Justin restore Cheryl’s car. Both cars were class winners.Al and Judy Harwood won First Place in the 1965-1966 Mustang Coupe class with this absolutely flawless 1966 Mustang. The mirrors placed on the ground below it were no idle brag; this is a concours-quality Ponycar top to bottom!Michael Kennedy prepares his candy-blue 1967 Mustang convertible for judging in the 1967-1968 Convertible class, where the ragtop did quite well.

On Friday, SMR attendees were treated to the Black Hills Poker Run, sponsored by Roush Performance. They took in the awesome sights of the Black Hills, including Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and an optional stop at Mount Rushmore. The well-attended run was followed by the Gateway (Mustang Club) Classic Ride Along segment at the Thunderdome Arena, followed by a drifting exhibition and drifting and barrel-racing competitions.

Dean and Shelly Myers’ blue and silver 1971 Boss 351 captured First in class at Sturgis. Judging from the Wyoming vanity plate (HER71) there’s no doubt whose car it is.

Mustangs lined up as early as 6 on Saturday morning to stage for the Show and Shine competition on Main Street, which consisted of 82 classes and a total of 36 judges. Following the annual group photo shot by Bob Davis (thanks for letting us share the photo platform, Bob!) was the Sturgis Mustang Rally/Main Street Parade. After that, everyone congregated at the Loud American Road House for the Loud Pipes Contest. Saturday’s activities concluded with drag racing at nearby Sturgis eighth-mile Dragway.

Floyd and Donna Opp are the proud owners of this 100-percent-original Mustang GT fastback, which competed in the Coupe/Fastback class.

Following Sunday morning’s Cowboy Church, the SMR drew to a close with the final rounds of autocross and the Barrett Jackson–hosted dinner and awards ceremony. A highlight of the banquet was the auctioning of the Roush Bandit/Sturgis Mustang Rally 2018 Limited Edition convertible, the proceeds of which went to the Wounded Warrior Family Support Foundation. Brian and Nancy Lahti of Tower, Minnesota, were the winning bidders.

After Cowboy Church services on Sunday, the Thunderdome course went hot again. Shandra Gronseth wheels her hubby’s 1966 Shelby G.T. 350H around the autocross during the ladies’ segment with intense concentration.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to Deadwood’s Cadillac Jack’s Hotel & Casino for the outstanding accommodations, and Front Range, Colorado, Mustangers Bill and Karla Puck for serving as our chauffeurs throughout the event. The 13th SMR will be held over Labor Day weekend 2019; visit sturgismustangrally.com for more information.

The hub of all Sturgis Mustang Rally activities was the Thunderdome Arena, located on the outskirts of town. All rally activities originated from, or took place at, the ’Dome, including the Mustang Rodeo, Mustang ride-alongs, launch box competition, burnout contest and drifting competitions, all autocross activities, barrel-racing competition, driving exhibitions, concerts, and Sunday’s banquet and Show and Shine awards. It was definitely the happening place.

Dennis Kersay wheels his 1968 Mustang coupe up Main Street past Deadwood’s Mustang Sally’s restaurant on the way into the car show.

Setting up for the show posed a bit of a parking problem on Deadwood’s somewhat narrow main drag, but with every car parked in its proper place, things calmed down and the show ran flawlessly.

The Mustang Trailer–sponsored barrel-racing event proved that, like autocross, a reasonable degree of skill and dexterity is required to negotiate the tight course without coming in contact with a barrel. Ron Miller “herded” his 1969 Shelby GT350 around the barrels, exhibiting a wild driving style that delighted the crowd.

Popular among SMR attendees was the Black Hills Poker Run, which took participants through some of the most beautiful scenery in the state. Bill and Karla Puck, who chauffeured us throughout the weekend, tied for Second place in the Poker Run’s HH class with Bill’s 1979 Indianapolis 500 pace car and Karla’s 1985 Mustang GT scoring the same amount of points.

One of the earlier stops on the Poker Run tour was at title sponsor Scott Peterson Motors Ford outside of Sturgis, where Peterson displayed his Raven Black 1969 Boss 429 Mustang (KK-1488).

Main Street Sturgis was transformed into a sea of color and chrome for Saturday’s Show and Shine. Tom and Cheryl Heiring were a huge hit with their “his and hers” 1973 Mustang Grandes. The story goes that the Bright Green Glow car served as their family car. Tom later purchased the Medium Aqua Grande to restore. Once he and Justin Eich finished the car, it was time to have Justin restore Cheryl’s car. Both cars were class winners.

Al and Judy Harwood won First Place in the 1965-1966 Mustang Coupe class with this absolutely flawless 1966 Mustang. The mirrors placed on the ground below it were no idle brag; this is a concours-quality Ponycar top to bottom!

Michael Kennedy prepares his candy-blue 1967 Mustang convertible for judging in the 1967-1968 Convertible class, where the ragtop did quite well.

Dean and Shelly Myers’ blue and silver 1971 Boss 351 captured First in class at Sturgis. Judging from the Wyoming vanity plate (HER71) there’s no doubt whose car it is.

Floyd and Donna Opp are the proud owners of this 100-percent-original Mustang GT fastback, which competed in the Coupe/Fastback class.

After Cowboy Church services on Sunday, the Thunderdome course went hot again. Shandra Gronseth wheels her hubby’s 1966 Shelby G.T. 350H around the autocross during the ladies’ segment with intense concentration.